Self-blame and stress in undergraduate college students: The mediating role of proactive coping.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating relationship of proactive coping on self-blame and stress among US undergraduate college students. Participants: The sample of undergraduate college students (n = 261) were recruited through their Introduction to Psychology course and registered for the study through a research-based computer program utilized at the university in the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters. Methods: Participants voluntarily completed a battery of self-report questionnaires that measured self-blame, proactive coping, and stress. Correlation and regression-based mediation analyses were utilized to address the study objectives. Demographic differences were explored using comparative analyses. Results: Proactive coping was identified as a mediator between self-blame and stress. Correlation analyses revealed self-blame, proactive coping, and stress were interrelated with one another. Ethnicity differences were observed on proactive coping. Conclusions: Proactive coping mediated the relationship between self-blame and stress and was negatively related to the other included behavioral constructs.

Agency is associated with decreased emotional distress and suicidal ideation in military personnel.

Suicides in the U.S. military continue to rise at a rapid rate. Identification of protective factors that reduce risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among military personnel are therefore needed. Agency--the sense that one is competent, effective, and in control of one's life--has shown to reduce the effects of hopelessness and emotional distress on suicidal thoughts and attempts in non-military populations. The current study explores the association of agency with suicidal ideation in a sample (n = 273) of active duty Air Force Security Forces personnel. Results of generalized regression modeling suggest that agency is directly associated with decreased emotional distress and severity of suicidal ideation, but does not moderate the effect of emotional distress on suicidal ideation.

The multidimensional scale of perceived social support: analyses of internal reliability, measurement invariance, and correlates across gender.

In this study, we examined estimates of internal consistency reliability, measurement invariance, and differential correlates of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) in samples of undergraduate men (n = 270) and women (n = 340). The MSPSS is designed to assess 3 sources of perceived social support: family, friends, and significant others. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 24 years (M(age) = 19.60, SD = 1.4 years). First, composite scale reliability and coefficient omega methods provided adequate estimates of internal consistency reliability for the original MSPSS total and subscale scores. Second, results of multiple-groups invariance confirmatory factor analysis provided support for configural and metric invariance. Partial measurement invariance was attained for scalar and strict measurement invariance across men and women. Additionally, given the high correlations among the first-order factors, we conducted multiple-groups bifactor item response theory (bifactor-IRT) analysis to evaluate further the performances of the individual MSPSS items across gender. Support for the bifactor model was strong. Third, we conducted a series of simultaneous regression analyses to identify potential correlates of the social support construct for women and men.

Age and belongingness moderate the effects of combat exposure on suicidal ideation among active duty Air Force personnel.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if intensity of combat exposure relates to suicidal ideation among active duty Air Force personnel according to age and perceived belonging. METHOD: Self-report measures of suicidal ideation, combat exposure (e.g., firing weapons, being fired upon), aftermath exposure (e.g., seeing dead bodies and devastation), emotional distress, belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness were completed by 273 (81.7% male; 67.8% Caucasian, 20.5% African American, 2.2% Native American,.7% Asian,.4% Pacific Islander, and 8.4% "other"; age M=25.99, SD=5.90) active duty Air Force Security Forces personnel. Multiple regression modeling was utilized to test the associations of combat exposure and aftermath exposure with recent suicidal ideation. RESULTS: A significant age-by-combat exposure interaction was found (B=0.014, SE=0.006, p=0.019), suggesting combat exposure and suicidal ideation was strongest among military personnel above the age of 34. The age-by-aftermath exposure interaction was not significant (B=-0.003, SE=0.004, p=0.460). A significant three-way interaction of age, combat exposure, and belongingness was also found (B=0.011, SE=0.005, p=0.042). The Johnson-Neyman test indicated that suicidal ideation was most severe among Airmen above the age of 29 years with high combat exposure and low levels of belongingness. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional, self-report design limited to two Air Force units. CONCLUSIONS: A strong sense of belonging protects against suicidal ideation among Airmen above the age of 29 years who have been exposed to higher levels of combat.

SAT Performance: Understanding the Contributions of Cognitive/Learning and Social/Personality Factors.

This study identifies a number of sources of individual differences in SAT performance by examining the simultaneous contributions of factors from two otherwise disparate research areas, namely cognition/learning and social/personality. Preliminary analysis revealed that just the cognitive/learning measures accounted for 37.8, 41.4 and 21.9% of the variance in SAT, V-SAT and Q-SAT performance, respectively while just the social/personality measures accounted for 21.4, 18.2 and 17.3% of the variance. When combined, cognitive/learning and social/personality factors accounted for even larger amounts of variance in performance; specifically 43.4, 44.6 and 28% for the SAT, V-SAT and Q-SAT, respectively. Finally, the results revealed that three measures consistently predicted performance on the SAT, V-SAT and Q-SAT; two measures were the learning/cognitive factors of working memory and integration of new text-based information with information from long-term memory and one measure was the social/personality factor, test anxiety.

Efficacy of brief couples support groups developed to manage the stress of in vitro fertilization treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of brief couples support groups offered concurrently with in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Couples in IVF treatment were given the option of participating in a biweekly support group at the IVF clinic at Wilford Hall Medical Center, San Antonio, Tex. At least 1 member of 26 couples participated in the brief couples support groups, and at least 1 member of 19 other couples completed the questionnaires but did not attend the support group sessions and so comprised the control group. Facilitators used cognitive behavioral techniques to help participants process their feelings and cognitions about their infertility. Emotional and cognitive factors were assessed both before and after group attendance by using the Beck Depression Inventory; the Beck Anxiety Inventory; the Life Orientation Test, which assesses optimism and pessimism; the Survey of Personal Views, which measures irrational beliefs; and the Social Provisions Scale, which measures social support. RESULTS: Women who attended group sessions were significantly less anxious after the IVF treatment than they were before the cycle (P < .001). Men who attended the group sessions were more optimistic than nongroup men or the women at the completion of the IVF cycle (P < .001) but endorsed greater numbers of irrational beliefs (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that the service was relatively inexpensive compared with IVF in the civilian community, the complexity of IVF treatment and the logistic and psychological stress experienced by couples made it hard to form and maintain such groups. Nevertheless, both men and women derived psychological benefit from the group: women reported less anxiety and men greater optimism on completion of the group sessions.